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​The best Blueberry Cheesecake!

There are currently two Bo's Coffee shops in Tagbilaran. One is in ICM, Island City Mall. The other one is strategically located at the city square near the cathedral in Tagbilaran. This review is about the latter one, located at the city square.This was my watering hole to get real good coffee. They had a wide selection of pastries where my favorite was the Blueberry Cheesecake. They also served complete breakfasts, pasta and savory pies suitable for lunch.

They make me feel welcome every time

I came many times here to work with my computer and drink Café Latte with Blueberry Cheesecake. Good WiFi and electrical outlets for charging your phone or computer were available at some seats. The CR (Comfort Room) was always nice and clean. The staff was friendly and made their effort to make me feel welcome every time.
The only downside was that sometimes it could be really noisy when there were many guests and that they didn't repair one of the electrical outlets despite I reminded them about it several times.

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Food
5 Service
5 Value
4 Atmosphere
I have been here many times 2015-2016.

The beach full of garbage!

​Nice pic right? My version of The Little Mermaid (Danish: Den lille Havfrue) in Copenhagen. Ok, that’s a joke! But anyway it looks nice, the blue sea, palm trees, white sand and nice rocks in the clear water. So what’s the problem then? Just 10 m away, a little bit further up on land, there were lot’s of garbage everywhere. Hey! This is a remote quiet island, Karimun Jawa. You are not suppose to see this here. Karimun Jawa is located 5 hours by boat north of Central Java in the middle of the Java Sea. This island is off the beaten track, not many tourists here to talk about. But still the beaches are full of garbage. It makes me really depressed. What’s wrong with people? Why don’t they bring their own fucking shit back to where it belongs? ???

Please! Check out the 9 tips below how to reduce your plastic waste!

My version of The Little Mermaid (Danish: Den lille Havfrue) in Copenhagen

Garbage on the beach

9 tips to reduce your plastic waste

​Making just a few small changes can have a big impact on the amount of plastic we use on a day-to-day basis. Source: Greenpeace UK

1. Carry a reusable bottle

In the UK they use over 35 million plastic bottles every year! Carrying a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use and save money too! There’s even an app that tells you where you can refill your bottle for free!

​​2. Say no to plastic straws

Plastic straws are bad news for our oceans. Next time you order a drink, think about whether you need a straw – and if you don’t, just say no! You can also ask your local pub to stop adding straws to drinks as standard and offer paper straws to those who want one.

​​3. Take a reusable coffee cup

2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away every year in the UK – and less than 1 in 400 are recycled. Carry a reusable cup with you – some cafes even offer a small discount if you use your own cup (and if they don’t ask them why not!)

​​4. Avoid excessive food packaging

Whether it’s making different choices in the supermarket or choosing a different place to shop, we can all try and cut down the plastic we buy. And as an added bonus, loose fruit and veg is often cheaper than pre-packaged alternatives!

​​5. Use refill stations for detergents

There are some products where it’s difficult to avoid a plastic container (for example washing up liquid or laundry liquid) – the good news is that there are an increasing amount of places where you can refill your old bottles.

​​6. Say no to disposable cutlery

We’ve all been there – caught out in a cafe or at a train station when we’ve bought a salad or a yogurt but the only cutlery on offer is plastic! Whilst it’s hard to plan for every opportunity, consider carrying a spoon or fork (or spork!) in your bag or keeping cutlery in your desk at work.

​​7. Get your milk delivered

Although the early morning sound of a milk float is not as common as it used to be, there are still lots of places in the UK where you can get milk delivered in glass bottles – which are then collected and reused.

​​8. Avoid microbeads

The good news is that the UK government have announced a ban on microbeads! However until the ban comes into force in 2018, there will still be products on the shelves, so keep checking those labels before you buy and avoid products containing polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and nylon.

What are microbeads?
Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes and in biomedical and health-science research. Microbeads can cause plastic particle water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals in freshwater and ocean water.

​​9. Carry a shopping bag

Since the plastic bag charge was introduced in England, there’s been a massive 85% drop in their use. Many of us are used to carrying an extra bag with us – if you still find it hard to remember, try a foldaway one that you can carry in your normal day bag.

Water comes in different shapes, big and small, fresh and salty. We are water beings who all belong to the water cycle, depending on it for our survival. But I have too often seen things which make me depressed. Like for example in pristine environments on remote islands which at first sight look so beautiful with white sand beaches and clear water. But in the next moment I discover something else. Tons of plastic bottles, old fishnets, ropes and other stuff. It's like I feel ashamed to be human when I see that. We should be intelligent enough to bring our own shit back where it belongs.

Felt almost like home!

When coming to Calayan Island the options for accommodation are limited. There are no hotels here. But one very good option is TPS Homestay, owned by Mam Tessie. The homestay is located at J.P Rizal Street not far from the pier. Just walking distance. Her helping hands are Medy and Arlene. Medy can assist you as your tour guide and driver around the island. We paid total 500 PHP per day for going around with Medy. The gasoline was included. With Arlene you can arrange so she will cook all your meals under your stay at an additional cost of course. There are some sari sari stores around where you can buy your own food and use the kitchen at no extra cost.

Limited electricity and sporadic cellphone coverage

Since we were here under low season we were the only guests at the homestay. We were very well accommodated and well taken care of. It almost felt like our home. The surroundings around the homestay were quiet so in night time we slept very well. The electricity was limited, there was only electricity in the evening from 5 to 10 PM. Beware also about the cellphone coverage and that the access to Internet can be sporadic. Hey! This is a remote island out in the middle of the sea after all.

Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
4 Rooms
5 Service
5 Value for the money
4 Cleanliness
I stayed here in January 2014

Big casino and a Chinese restaurant

If you for some reason happen to be in Santa Ana, the almost northern tip of the whole Luzon you are really off the beaten track but probably heading for the ferry going to the Babuyan Islands. There are not much here in Santa Ana, but you have the Cagayan Holiday & Leisure Resort here. This is a big casino and a Chinese restaurant with accompanying bungalows. When you pass by on the road outside it looks really anonymous like a big quiet warehouse or something. It's only the signpost which tells you there is something going on inside the compound.

The signpost

The entrance

​​A surrealistic place

But don't hesitate. Just proceed through the gates and walk along the big warehouse wall until you reach the front and you will be amazed! A big entrance with fountains and nice plantings welcomes you. But it's a little bit of a surrealistic experience, in the middle of nowhere, in this small town Santa Ana you find this place and there is almost no people around. By the time we were there having dinner there was only one other guest present.

The reception hall

Conclusions

However the food was delicious and the portions were huge. We ordered hot and sour soup and beef with mushrooms. The food was price worthy and they also had a good WiFi here.

​Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food
4 Service
4 Value
4 Atmosphere
I was here January 2014.